Who Will Win and Who Should Win At the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards are on the way and as usual, some of the biggest stars in the entertainment firmament will be honored. It airs live on TV One on Saturday, February 22 with red carpet coverage at 8 p.m. and the show at 9 p.m. ET. (The show is tape delayed for the West Coast. Among the big nominees is the BET show Being Mary Jane which leads the network’s 19 nominations.

The Weinstein Company which produced Fruitvale Station, is second with 17 nods. RCA Records leads the music nominations with 10.

“This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change,” stated Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP.

“The NAACP Image Awards provides an excellent venue to recognize those who make a difference through art and activism, and we are excited to honor and celebrate this caliber of talent.”

We took at look at some of the tightest races in the top categories so we could pick who we think should win and who’s really going to win. Here are our choices for top winners at the NAACP Image Awards.

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

· Being Mary Jane (BET)

· Betty & Coretta (Lifetime)

· CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (VH1)

· Luther (BBC America)

· Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight (HBO)

Who Will Win: Betty and Coretta

Who Should Win:CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story Although Betty and Coretta is a worthy project, we’ve seen stories about these courageous women and their undeniable contributions before. But the story of three ambitious women seeking fame and then finding it not quite what they thought it would be was well done and true to the facts.

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

· Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Coven (FX Networks)

· Angela Bassett – Betty & Coretta (Lifetime)

· Gabourey Sidibe – American Horror Story: Coven (FX Networks)

· Gabrielle Union – Being Mary Jane (BET)

· Keke Palmer - CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (VH1)

Who Should Win: Angela Bassett American Horror Story: Coven

Who Will Win: Angela Bassett Betty and Coretta It’s hard to argue against playing one of the most notable women in the civil rights era, but Bassett is doing some serious work on American Horror Story. Either way, in a category where she’s competing against herself, expect her to pick up a trophy here.

Outstanding Talk Series

· Oprah’s Lifeclass (OWN)

· Oprah’s Next Chapter (OWN)

· Steve Harvey (Syndicated)

· The Arsenio Hall Show (Syndicated)

· The Queen Latifah Show (Syndicated)

Who Will Win:The Arsenio Hall Show

Who Should Win:Oprah’s Lifeclass

Arsenio will get the nostalgia vote and we have to admit, the reboot of his famed 90’s talk show is pretty damn good. But Oprah’s “Lifeclass” is taking on significant issues and providing reasoned solutions, so she gets our vote, although she already has every award ever given out.